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Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Purification and Expansion of Mouse Invariant Natural Killer T Cells for in vitro and in vivo Studies
Published on: February 15, 2021
GATA-3 regulates the development and function of invariant NKT cells
Peter J Kim1, Sung-Yun Pai, Manfred Brigl
1Division of Rheumatology, Immunology, and Allergy, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Abstract:
Although invariant NKT (iNKT) cells participate in many aspects of immune responses, the molecular mechanisms regulating their development, maturation, and activation are still poorly understood. GATA-3 is a T cell-specific transcription factor that is also expressed in iNKT cells. The critical role of GATA-3 in conventional alphabeta T cells has been well documented, but whether GATA-3 also regulates the development and function of iNKT cells is unknown. In the present study, we report that deficiency of GATA-3 results in cell-intrinsic defects in the thymic development and peripheral maturation of murine iNKT cells. In addition, GATA-3 is also required for survival, activation, and effector functions of this unique population of T cells. Our data also reveal a previously unidentified peripheral maturation step that is GATA-3 dependent.
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